Hyundai - Cheetah

February 05, 2012 |
:30

When it comes to advertising in the Super Bowl, Hyundai had been following a simple formula in the most recent outings: See what models are gearing up for launch, then determine if any of its commercials for those models are worthy of joining the ad roster for the Big Game. In 2012 the automaker, which made a name for itself by aggressively marketing while the recession forced some U.S. rivals to the sidelines, believed it has an opportunity to do something different.

"We're making Super Bowl spots," Steve Shannon, VP-marketing, Hyundai Motor America, told Ad Age in October 2011. "We need to get that headset on. The bar is high."

Mr. Shannon suggested Hyundai wanted to focus more on sparking an emotional connection with consumers and perhaps less on regaling them with practical reasons to buy, ground that's been well-covered as Hyundai kept advertising and gained market share in the process. The result in Super Bowl XLVI was a pair of spots via Innocean meant to be less serious than the earlier, establishing work. Watch “Cheetah” to see the danger of working as an animal-handler when cheetah is pitted in a race against a Hyundai. ("Think Fast" was Hyundai's other that year.)

The 2012 game was Hyundai’s fifth. It made a big Super Bowl splash in 2009 under former marketing chief Joel Ewanick by guaranteeing buyers they could return a car, with no hit to their credit, if they lost their jobs.